Communal areas, flat entrance doors, escape routes, external walls and shared responsibilities. Fire risk assessments for freeholders, residents' management companies and managing agents, carried out by Kevin or Jon in person.
Since 2017 no building type has seen its fire safety law change as much as the block of flats. Freeholders and resident directors, many of them volunteers, now carry duties that did not exist a few years ago.
A current, competent fire risk assessment is the document that shows those duties are being met.
Kevin and Jon both spent decades working on facades, fire-rated doors and glazing before moving into fire safety, which is exactly where the new law is focused.
The Fire Safety Order 2005 applies to the common parts of any building with two or more homes. The Fire Safety Act 2021 confirmed that the assessment must also cover the structure, the external walls, including cladding, balconies and windows, and flat entrance doors. The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 added duties by height. Every block must give residents fire safety and fire door information. Blocks over 11 metres need quarterly communal door checks and annual flat entrance door checks. Blocks of at least 18 metres or seven storeys need a secure information box, plans for the fire service, external wall information, monthly equipment checks and wayfinding signage, and are higher-risk buildings under the Building Safety Act 2022.
Most purpose-built blocks are designed so that a fire is contained in the flat where it starts, allowing other residents to stay put. That is only safe if the compartmentation is actually there. Converted houses and some older blocks often need simultaneous evacuation with a linked alarm. The report states which strategy applies and why, because the alarm, signage and resident instructions all follow from it.
We start with a Type 1 assessment of the common parts unless there is a reason to go further, and we say what further investigation is justified if compartmentation looks doubtful. Every assessment considers the external wall. Where the construction means a detailed appraisal is needed, that is a separate exercise under PAS 9980, and we tell you plainly when it is and is not justified.
Replaced with non fire-rated doors, closers removed, or letter plates and locks that were never tested with the door.
Unsealed service penetrations and cupboard doors with no fire resistance, the most common hidden breach.
Prams, bikes, furniture and mobility scooters in corridors and under stairs.
Charging in escape routes, with no policy or alternative provided.
Communal detection fitted in a stay put building, or none where simultaneous evacuation is needed.
Vents that do not open and risers with no test record.
Missing fire separation between flats and shared voids, plant or bin stores.
No fire action notices or fire door information issued, as the 2022 Regulations now require.
Door checks, alarm tests and contractor work with nothing written down.
You receive a signed PDF with a management summary suitable for sharing with directors and residents, and a photograph for each finding.
The report states the evacuation strategy, the assessment type, the height tier under the 2022 Regulations and what could not be inspected, with actions in four priority bands.
Superb service from beginning to end. Mr Bonnar is very experienced and knowledgeable, and solution-focused.
Tell us about the block and we confirm scope and availability within one working hour. Kevin or Jon on site, signed report within 24 hours of invoice payment.
If you are a director, freeholder or agent and unsure what applies to your building, speak directly to the assessors who carry out the work.
Whoever controls the common parts. That is usually the freeholder, a residents’ management company or a right to manage company, often acting through a managing agent.
A Type 1 assessment does not. It covers the common parts and flat entrance doors. Flats are only entered in a Type 3 or Type 4 assessment, where there is reason to doubt the fire separation.
It depends on the lease. In many leases the door belongs to the leaseholder. The responsible person must still take steps to make sure doors are adequate, so we record the condition of each door sampled.
Yes. The Order applies to the shared entrance, hall and stairs of any building with two or more homes, however small. It is increasingly requested when a flat is sold or the building insurance renews.
National guidance suggests a modern low-rise block is reviewed every two years with a new assessment every four, and taller or higher-risk blocks reviewed annually with a new assessment every three years.
An EWS1 form is a lender’s valuation document, not a legal fire safety requirement. Whether a lender asks for one depends on height and wall construction. We can tell you whether your external wall is likely to raise questions.
The assessment considers where they are stored and charged. Common parts are rarely suitable, and the report recommends practical alternatives and a clear policy for residents.
It is where the building’s compartmentation supports it. The assessment checks the evidence for that on site and states clearly whether stay put remains appropriate.
Tell us about your site. We'll respond within one working hour during business hours.
